1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grooming mirror, and more particularly, to a grooming mirror with multiple backlit reflecting surfaces.
2. Description of Related Technology
Mirrors with multiple reflecting surfaces, one of which is typically planar and the other of which is concave to provide magnification, are known to be particularly well-suited for personal grooming tasks such as applying makeup or shaving. There are many types of such mirrors, examples being disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,200,114, U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,715, U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,679, U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,001 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,915, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 258,017.
Most of the mirrors disclosed in those patents are illuminated, another feature that is especially useful for tasks that require good lighting of the face of the person using the mirror. Placing a light source behind the mirror and having light shine on the user's face from the periphery of the mirror's reflecting surface is one desirable way of providing such illumination. That type of arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,138,552, U.S. Pat. No. 2,180,151, U.S. Pat. No. 2,200,114, U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,679 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,334.
However, prior art approaches to backlighting multiple-sided mirrors have certain drawbacks. For example, the arrangement in U.S. Pat. No. 2,200,114 requires the user to tilt the mirror out of a reflector housing, rotate it to expose the mirror's reverse side, and then tilt the mirror back into the reflector housing. Among the problems with this approach is that it completely exposes the inside of the reflector housing to the user, which is undesirable from a marketing standpoint, and it requires that the mirror tilt be reset each time the reflecting surface is changed, thus inconveniencing the user.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,679 the two mirrors are on opposite sides of a lamp shade type member mounted on a light bulb by a wire spring clamp having opposing arms that engage the glass envelope of the light bulb in a manner similar to a conventional lamp shade. This arrangement makes it even more inconvenient for the user to change the reflecting surface, since the shade member must be grasped and rotated about the light bulb. Among other problems, the shade member may be too hot to grasp, the light bulb is subject to breakage and the tilt of the mirror will be disturbed when the shade member is rotated.
Heretofore there has been no known solution to these problems with prior art backlit mirrors having multiple reflecting surfaces.